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Preparedness

and Protection

Being Prepared with Supplies for Survival

by Jon David Miller, holistic educator and author

 

Click on a topic:

Prepper Tips & Supplies ~ Food ~ Water ~ Survival Shelter ~ Survival Group ~ Escape Plan ~ Detox Help

 

What Is "Being Prepared"?

Being a "prepper" is not necessarily the same as being a wilderness survivalist. I have been aware of the value of being prepared since I was a kid as a "Boy Scout".

In fact, I grew up with the idea of preparing foods for later consumption through the winter, as my farm-bred grandmother froze and canned foods every season, such as beans, corn and tomatoes. I spent a great deal of time helping at the farm of my great aunt and uncle, and we also had a family garden at our home, as well as fruit trees, berries and grapes. So I learned a lot about growing and saving various natural foods. Later I found out about dried foods packed for long term storage and the reasoning for that.

There is a basic drive to survive and protect yourself and your loved ones from harm. I am not an advocate of guns and bullets, but these are sometimes useful in a crazy world with various threats. If you are traveling through the wilderness, you could encounter animals that could kill you, such as wild dogs, coyotes or wolves in a pack, wild hogs, bears, cougars, poisonous snakes, etc., as well as humans that might not hesitate to harm.

The main emphasis of survival preparedness is forming a support community among family and trusted friends and neighbors that can work together to make plans, assemble supplies and tools, create protective shelters and set up security systems.

Love is our real power in the physical as well as the spiritual realms. Love is the guiding principal in planning, gathering supplies and arranging shelter to better deal with whatever changes come, and also as we move beyond the physical. We may or may not survive for a long time, but the more prepared we are, the less stress it will be for ourselves and our loved ones for however long we do.

 

Prepper Tips & Supplies

It is crucially important to make plans to have necessities on hand for an emergency. Here is a fairly thorough list of items for a quick overview:

~ nourishing, ready to eat foods

~ ice, ice packs and cooler     

~ water and purification method

~ tools for repairs, gardening, etc.

~ first aid kit, medicines, nutritional supplements, herbs, homeopathic remedies

~ antiseptic items (eg, liquid silver, oxygen drops, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, alcohol)

~ detox aids

~ toilet seat (can be set on logs or a bucket), toilet paper, plastic bags

~ personal care items (eg, toiletries, natural cleanser, shampoo, lotions, lip balm)

~ flashlights, solar powered LED lights, candles, candle holders, kerosene lamps

~ batteries

~ cleaning supplies (eg., natural cleaners, soap, white vinegar)

~ alternative heating and cooking (eg, wood, kerosene, propane or alcohol stove, sterno cans, appropriate supplies, eg, waterproof matches, butane lighters, flint & steel, lighter fluid, gasoline), food thermometers, (watch this FDA video on food temperature)

~ stainless steel cookware, cast iron skillets, iron camping pot

~ "Rocket" stove

~ blankets, coats, thermal underwear, clothing

~ hand warmer packs, gloves, scarves, hats

~ durable footwear - shoes, boots, socks

~ rain gear, rubber boots, umbrellas

~ tents, waterproof sleeping bags, air mattresses, plastic tarps, ropes

~ fuel, parts, 12 V batteries, charger, jumper cables, for all motorized equipment

~ alternative transportation (eg., bicycle, scooter, wagon, roller skates)

~ alternative power (eg., gas powered generator, wind, solar, etc.)

~ books, board games, playing cards, puzzles, etc., for amusement

~ emergency radio - battery, hand crank and/or solar powered, + ham (short wave) or cb radio

~ miniature trampoline, weights, rope and/or stretch bands for indoor exercise

~ silver U.S. coins from 1964 and earlier for currency in a survival society

~ abundant items of useful value, such as tools and supplies for your immediate community or for bartering (eg., axe, sledge hammer, wedge, crowbar, hammer, screw drivers, screws, nails, camping knife, shovel, toilet paper, razor blades, scissors, cutting knives, kitchen utensils, non-aluminum cookware, containers, bottles, jars, duct tape, nylon cord, pencils, pens, paper, buckets, brooms, mops, rags, plastic bags, self-sealing bags, large trash bags, )

~ depending on your philosophy and inclination, you may want to have a rifle with plenty of ammunition for hunting and/or defense, also fishing gear, etc.

 

Food

The best choices for stored foods are nutritious, ready to eat items, that are protected from oxidation, and which do not readily spoil without refrigeration. I suggest ordering a supply of dehydrated foods and/or freeze-dried meals, sproutable dried beans, grains and seeds, with our organic flaxseed and green super foods mix as high nutrition foods. Other organic seeds and grains such as buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, millet, rye, sunflower, chia, sesame, clover, alfalfa, legumes (beans and peas) are other wholesome foods, best organically grown.

Most raw whole grains, seeds and beans are sproutable. Containers suitable for sprouting would be good to have on hand, ideally glass jars with a screen for draining them after watering.

Food items to consider storing:

~ grains (rice, millet, corn, spelt, or wheat, barley, rye or oats to grow grass for juicing, etc.)

~ seeds (non GMO alfalfa, flaxseed, sunflower, chia, sesame, clover, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, etc.)

~ legumes (beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, etc.)

~ whole grain pasta, esp. made from buckwheat, quinoa and/or Jerusalem artichoke flour

~ canned tomato and pasta sauce

~ dehydrated vegetables and fruits, whole grain chips and crackers, etc.

~ produce that can keep for a good while un-refrigerated (eg., winter squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots (protected and cool to prevent moisture loss), apples, etc.)

~ coffee, teas, canned juices,

~ natural sweeteners (eg., honey, maple syrup, agave, organic cane juice crystals, etc.)

~ natural oils (eg., olive oil, coconut oil, hemp oil, flax oil)

~ natural salt, spices, culinary herbs, condiments (eg., apple cider vinegar, mustard, kelp, cayenne or capsicum)

If you form a food cooperative, your local group can order in bulk from a natural foods supplier who delivers to the area at wholesale prices. You can get most beans, grains and other seeds in 25 or 50 lb bags. Other items may come in jars, bottles, tins or packages, some by the case. With a simple balance scale it is easy to divide a group order. Everyone can get stocked with good foods at a reasonable cost.

 

Growing Food

During the growing season, have a substantial garden. You can also experiment with growing food indoors in the Fall and winter, and getting garden plants started early in the Spring.

Maintain a supply of various heirloom vegetable and herb seeds (standard strains, not hybrids).

A green house, a cold frame or a growing tunnel can extend your growing season in colder climates. You can start plants earlier in the Spring, and prolong the harvest time for some plants in the Fall.

There are various special methods for growing foods in a small space or indoors, including towers, barrels, window boxes, hanging baskets, aquaponics, etc. For a long term survival situation, such as with a major volcanic eruption leaving a cloud of ash around the world for a year or two, growing food indoors may be necessary.

There are many crops that can grow indoors if you have the seeds, lighting, rich soil or other nutrient source and water to grow them. These include: lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, carrots, beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.

With aquaponics, you can grow a great amount of fresh nutritious food indoors in a small space, year round, even in the winter. This involves a re-circulating water tank with fish, healthy bacteria and vegetables, all growing in the tank. The bacteria convert the ammonia of fish waste to nitrites then nitrates that feed the plants.

This is a self-cleaning system that is simple to maintain and very low in cost. A good light source, such as a sunny window or a full-spectrum grow light, a mineral rich media bed, some earthworms, starter plants or seeds, bacteria culture, the original fish and a modest amount of fish food, are all that is needed beyond the tank, water and the oxygenation pump.

Working together as a cooperative group, you can plan and share duties for generating your own foods for the long run. Coordinating wise use of tools, seeds and other resources for effective food production is sensible and may save lives.

 

IMPORTANT HEALTH INFORMATION ON WHEAT:

Eating the wheat grain, including wheat flour products, is harmful to health, as wheat has thousands of irritant proteins and acids that are toxic to humans, including lectin, gliadin, gluten and phytic acid.

Millions of people are allergic to wheat without knowing, especially to the gluten, which may cause uncomfortable digestive tract disorders, especially celiac disease or "sprue". The various compounds in modern wheat effect nearly everyone who eats it.

The lectin in wheat is particularly damaging to the arteries where they branch. It has been found to be a major contributor to circulatory disease, particularly hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Gliadin is an opiate compound in modern wheat varieties that binds to receptors in the brains and stimulates appetite, contributing to excess weight problems and diabetes. Phytic acid in wheat is a significant cause of arthritic trouble.

Today's wheat was developed from hybrids of earlier strains of wheat, such as emmer, and other grasses. Modern wheat has more of the gliadin protein. Spelt, kamut and emmer are older varieties of wheat, whereas triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye that does not reproduce itself.

The best way to use wheat family grains for food is by sprouting, which reduces some of the harmful compounds, and even better to grow the kernals into grass for juicing. You can also chew the grass to extract the juice, which is high in chlorophyll, beta carotene, enzymes and minerals.

It is quite a challenge to avoid wheat as it is so common in the modern diet. Nonetheless, eliminating wheat would be a great benefit for health. Barley, rye and oats eaten as grain or cereal are somewhat better, but do also contain gluten. As raw whole grains these can be sprouted into beneficial grass as well as wheat. Gluten is not a problem with millet or corn, although today's corn is almost all genetically modified, so look for organic corn.

Much preferable as alternatives to grains are buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth.

 

Water

I have consumed only purified water since the mid 1970's.

You can fill a variety of clean containers and store pure water around the house and garage. Use and replace them in a regular rotation. The stored water should be purified of chemicals. To prevent bacteria from growing in the water during storage, add some hydrogen peroxide, stabilized oxygen, vodka, etc.

A good pore through water purifier would be a very useful piece of equipment, such as a portable pitcher filter.

A solar distiller can be made by filling a black or dark container with water from collected rain, a spring, a stream, etc. The container is then placed in the sun, covered by glass that is tilted slightly for the evaporated water to re-condense and slide off for collection in a separate vessel.

Another option for getting pure water is hanging large plastic trash bags on tree limbs to gather morning dew.

(NOTE: You can draw water from your water heater for a while in an emergency. If you were to know a potential power outage emergency is coming, you could fill the bathtub with water that could be used for cooking, washing or even flushing the toilet. CAUTION: If there are young children in the home take precautions to keep any small child from the tub of water for safety.)

A neighborhood water plan for storing and purifying water, as well as obtaining more in the event of an extended power shut down, is very important. Start a conversation about it with friendly neighbors that can lead to a planning meeting.

 

Shelter

With the potential for geophysical changes, including earthquakes, storms, high winds, flooding, hail or falling meteorites, it is wise to plan for and prepare a strong, water tight shelter above potentially flooded zones.

At the least, consider walling off an area of the basement to build a safe room away from windows. Even better would be to dig an enclosed safe shelter deep underground that is not directly below a structure that could collapse in on it. You could knock out a section of basement wall for access, and/or build external entry passages. It would be a good idea to have an alternative route for entry or exit from such a shelter.

Shelter design plans should include containers and/or equipment for water supply, food storage and prep, exercise and sleeping, and methods for full-spectrum lighting (research John Ott), including ultra violet light, temperature control, air ventilation and elimination of wastes.

It is also important to store first aid supplies, nutritional supplements, herbs, essential medications, clothing, flashlights, batteries, candles and off-grid heating and cooking equipment.

Consideration of earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding, fires, falling meteors and nuclear radiation should be made in choosing a location and preparing a shelter. Privacy in building and seclusion of entrances are other concerns.

Once any disaster events subside on the planet's surface would begin a time of clean up. Survivalists advise having seeds and tools ready, along with being prepared for the planting of food crops in the Spring after the time of greatest disturbances has passed.
 
Setting aside an area for growing food indoors may be important for the case of long term inhospitable outdoor conditions. Having the seeds, soil, containers, lighting, adequate water and know-how takes significant planning.

 

Survival Group

Select nearby friends, relatives and/or neighbors with whom you are compatible for mutual support and to discuss preparedness plans. If they are convinced of the wisdom of planning for mutual self protection, you can form a survival community to help each other.

Your survival group can work together to form a cooperative, gather and grow needed food, round-up supplies and form a strategy for protecting yourselves from possibly desperate selfish people in a crisis. Helping each other, you can likely build better sheltering than you could alone.

Buy and invest locally. Support local small businesses, growers, artists, crafts people, musicians and service providers.

The ideal would be to organize a self-reliant community. The group could plan together to obtain needed goods and services, prepare underground safety shelters, share in food growing and preserving methods, set up an off-the-grid means of communicating, develop an insightful educational and wisdom system, and expand knowledge of natural methods of health care and metaphysical healing.

Meet with other local groups to discuss and make plans for strengthening the larger community's economy and helping the less fortunate. You might also consider actions that can prevent and reduce crime.

Unfortunately, most Americans have been hypnotized and "dumbed down" to ignorance by television, other media, education, propaganda, politics, fluoride, aluminum, MSG, Aspartame, alcohol, vaccinations, etc. Due to this ignorance and the strength of the "normalcy bias", the faulty assumption that "normal" will always continue, people are not likely to have prepared for the unusual situation like you will have.

 

Escape Plan

With a potential for dangerous conditions in a city in a post collapse situation, it is wise to have an escape plan to get out of the city for a while, if that is where you reside.

A three day "go bag" for each member of the family or survival group is a very good idea. A knapsack as large as possible for each person, ideally with a frame, that can be carried comfortably, should be prepared, ready to go and kept at home and/or in the car. Ideally you'll want this bag in close proximity to you wherever you are. You may not have much warning of a need to get away. If your bag is in the car, you are prepared in case you find yourself in a situation in which you cannot get back home.

You and your travel group should have a change of clothing (especially socks) for everyone, adequate food (high nutrition, non perishable, light weight) for several days, pure water, a fire making method, warm sleeping gear, rain gear, first aid supplies, needed medicine, flashlights, batteries, a good map, a compass and a camping shelter or two, particularly a light weight tent or at least a protective cover.

Have your cell phones charged up at all times, although they may not work if all power is out.

If you have a relative or friend in a rural or small town setting that is willing to accommodate, you could form a plan to make your way to them in the case of a disaster emergency. Discuss plans thoroughly with them ahead of time. You could also have a well-stocked get-away cabin in the woods somewhere if that is feasible.

Try to keep enough fuel in your vehicle at all times that is adequate to reach that destination. If the vehicle will not work for any reason, be prepared to travel promptly by bicycle or on foot.

You might want to include loved ones living in another location in the planning for them to get to the survival location as well.

Realize that others may want to capture your vehicle, bicycle or supplies in a collapsed society situation.

In the case of lawlessness or martial law, you may need to keep a low profile in your travel. Familiarity with an off-road route to your destination may be needed. You could follow known roads at a distance, ideally through woods and away from people and occupied homes and buildings as much as possible.
 
The Earth is changing, and so is the social situation around us. Learn as much as you can to be able to plan for a safe and healthy future for yourself and your loved ones. Things may or may not become difficult, but having a good plan and being prepared with the supplies you need for living will prevent fear and sustain your clear ability to deal well with whatever develops.
 

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Prepper Quote

"I woke up about 2 months ago and realized I would be in trouble if any major catastrophe occurred, natural or society induced. I laid in a year's worth of food, ammunition, and other essentials, putting a wood stove in, and hand pump on the well, solar on the roof. I feel as prepared as I can be without going crazy".

-- Anonymous comment post at ActivistPost.com

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Rest Stop

Take A Relaxing Breath

Prepare by loving beyond fear. Cooperation is the natural way of life of our cells, our friends and our environment.

Caring For One Another

 

RESOURCES

Army Survival Manual

Army Ranger Handbook

Army First Aid Manual

Excellent Complete Survival Guide

The Household Cyclopedia

FEMA's In-depth Guide To Citizen Preparedness

 

 

Go to Food Availability

 

Back to Planet-X

 

 

ReallyWell.com - natural health products

Antioxidant Super Foods

Detoxify and Boost Your Health

 

Powerful respiratory, detox and antioxidant products

 

The Best Organic Milled Flax Seed + Other Super Foods

information on good foods for storage & preparedness

 

Information on food & other items for storage & preparedness

 

Do You Want Poisons or Water Fit to Drink?

Effective & Affordable Water Purification

Remove Chorine, Fluoride, Pesticides, Heavy Metals, etc.

Who Wants Lower IQ, Apathy, Infertility & Cancer?

Get Deadly Fluoride Out of Your Water!

 

Minimize Cell Phone Use

Protection from EMF and RF

 

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